State Homeschool Conventions
Apr. 24, 2006 at 10:21 AM
Homeschooling
April showers...
...Bring May flowers.
What else springs up in May. Homeschool conventions. Most states have at least one major homeschool convention. It is usually held in early summer. Michigan is having their convention, INCH at the Lansing Center May 5 & 6. Unfortunately, we have another commitment that weekend and will not be attending.
My friend and regional homeschool speaker Kathy Morrisey of Courtship Connection will be at INCH, She'll also be in Ohio, and Kentucky plus a few other area conferences. If you get a chance, go to one of her workshops. She's a dynamic mother of 8 with lots to share. If you stop by tell her Spunky said hi! (Heads up: We're also going to do a little Mother's Day contest with Kathy next week so be watching for details.)
JenIg and some of the staff of The Old Schoolhouse are going to the Florida Convention.
...Bring May flowers.
What else springs up in May. Homeschool conventions. Most states have at least one major homeschool convention. It is usually held in early summer. Michigan is having their convention, INCH at the Lansing Center May 5 & 6. Unfortunately, we have another commitment that weekend and will not be attending.
My friend and regional homeschool speaker Kathy Morrisey of Courtship Connection will be at INCH, She'll also be in Ohio, and Kentucky plus a few other area conferences. If you get a chance, go to one of her workshops. She's a dynamic mother of 8 with lots to share. If you stop by tell her Spunky said hi! (Heads up: We're also going to do a little Mother's Day contest with Kathy next week so be watching for details.)
JenIg and some of the staff of The Old Schoolhouse are going to the Florida Convention.
Tami said the North Carolina convention is May 25 & 26. in Winston Salem. She'll be a vendor and a speaker.
Shelly tells us that the Virginia hoemschool convention is June 4-6 at the Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, VA.
Robin informs us that the New Jersey convention is May 19-20.
Lisa at Homeiscool tells us that the Arizona convention is July 21-22.
Convicted to Complete informs us that California's CHEA is July 7-9
Homeschooling A to Z also has a list of conventions from around the country. But many states are not on that list.
I've gotten a couple of emails from people asking if I know when their state convention is held. I could google all 50 states and do the work. But I'm being lazy. So if you know when your state convention is then please leave a comment and let others know. If you have a link to the website that would be helpful too. I'll add the information to this post. And also provide a link to your site so that maybe we can get a little blogger networking going at the various conventions.
And while your at it, feel free to share some of your convention surivival tips.
My rule of thumb is set a budget and stick to it. Think of conventions like grocery shopping, have a list and buy the basics needs first. Then if you have any money left over throw in a few desserts. If you can afford it bring your children. I know some conventions don't allow it due to space. However, conventions are an excellent way to build a vision for homeschooling in your children. We've taken ours to quite a few and they enjoy the various speakers and the vendor hall as much as we do.
If you're thinking about homeschooling, a convention is a great way to learn more. Even if you don't end up homeschooling, the information is excellent and the resources are so much better than what's available at a teacher store. Many conventions have reduced pricing if you are just going to the vendor hall.
Also, here's a little convention tidbit. I used to attend computer conventions as a vendor. According to marketing research, the majority of people when they enter a vendor hall go to the right. So we always tried to get our tables on that side of the hall. That's not a particularly useful piece of information to survive the convention but I thought I'd share it anyway.
Robin informs us that the New Jersey convention is May 19-20.
Lisa at Homeiscool tells us that the Arizona convention is July 21-22.
Convicted to Complete informs us that California's CHEA is July 7-9
Homeschooling A to Z also has a list of conventions from around the country. But many states are not on that list.
I've gotten a couple of emails from people asking if I know when their state convention is held. I could google all 50 states and do the work. But I'm being lazy. So if you know when your state convention is then please leave a comment and let others know. If you have a link to the website that would be helpful too. I'll add the information to this post. And also provide a link to your site so that maybe we can get a little blogger networking going at the various conventions.
And while your at it, feel free to share some of your convention surivival tips.
My rule of thumb is set a budget and stick to it. Think of conventions like grocery shopping, have a list and buy the basics needs first. Then if you have any money left over throw in a few desserts. If you can afford it bring your children. I know some conventions don't allow it due to space. However, conventions are an excellent way to build a vision for homeschooling in your children. We've taken ours to quite a few and they enjoy the various speakers and the vendor hall as much as we do.
If you're thinking about homeschooling, a convention is a great way to learn more. Even if you don't end up homeschooling, the information is excellent and the resources are so much better than what's available at a teacher store. Many conventions have reduced pricing if you are just going to the vendor hall.
Also, here's a little convention tidbit. I used to attend computer conventions as a vendor. According to marketing research, the majority of people when they enter a vendor hall go to the right. So we always tried to get our tables on that side of the hall. That's not a particularly useful piece of information to survive the convention but I thought I'd share it anyway.
And just because I like to be extra helpful, here's a website to help you find the gas station with the cheapest gas in your area. All you have to do is type your zip code. Our gas is currently at $2.77 a gallon.
6 Comments and Trackbacks
posted by Tami on Apr. 24, 2006 at 11:51 AM
Hi, Spunky! I will at the North Carolina Convention. The dates are May 25, 26, and 27, in Winston-Salem, NC. And I will be both a vendor and a speaker. My booth number is 24.
Have a blessed day! Tami
posted by spunkyhomeschool on Apr. 24, 2006 at 12:12 PM
Too bad, we'll be in South Carolina the week before. I wish we could stay another week and go see you. I'd love to meet you.
posted by homeiscool on Apr. 24, 2006 at 5:13 PM
Here in AZ - Our convention is in July, the 21st and 22nd, put on by Arizona Families for Home Education. It was great last year, we just loved the speakers that came and blessed us with their knowledge and encouragement. AFHE does a bang-up job of putting this on. I highly recommend it for first-timers, and bring the hubby!
My best tip: We went last year with our 2 year old in tow, and we lived to tell about it!! Of course, the stroller, and a few toys (that can't be thrown too far) are a must, but the best thing we brought for him was a walkman and a whole bunch of story & song tapes. He just loved them! People commented over and over to us about how great it was to see him just listening to those tapes and being so quiet.
Another strange tip: Our convention was downtown, and there were no other things going on at that time, so the locals weren't prepared for us. If this is the case with yours, then plan your lunch wisely!! We went into this little restaurant and they were totally overwhelmed by us. They were used to having 5 or 6 customers on a Saturday afternoon for lunch, and all of a sudden 50 people show up! Needless to say, we were a little bit late for our class after lunch. You may even consider alerting local establishments ahead of time, just in case they aren't prepared.
Have a great "convention season"!
posted by gabalot on Apr. 24, 2006 at 11:17 PM
Californians don't miss our convention, CHEA, July 7-9th at the Ontario Convention Center, in So. CA. This year there is even a Saturday Children's Convention. This is always a weekend of refreshment and friendship. I've been attending for seven years and I wouldn't miss it! This is what I consider my teacher's retreat for the year. Even though I live 20 minutes away, a group of us gets hotel rooms and make a weekend of it. When you get a group of friends, it ends up being a very affordable get-a-way. The shopping of course, is too much fun! If at all possible, convention is a must!
posted by Anonymous on Apr. 25, 2006 at 1:35 PM
I ran across a link to HSLDA from homeschoolbuzz.com with a schedule for all the state conventions: http://www.hslda.org/about/calendar/default.asp
- Tad
http://columbus.hsers.net
posted by Anonymous on Apr. 27, 2006 at 7:11 PM
The DFW area convention is in Arlington on May 12-13th. Here is the website: http://www.homeschoolbookfair.org/
What we do at book fairs is treat them as fact-finding expeditions and not shopping trips. We intentionally bring only enough money for meals and maybe one or two books; and spend the time flipping through books and resources we can't find at the regular book store or Mardel, and listening to as many seminars as we can. Then we go home, go through the literature, pray, and eventually-- when we need the resources-- we purchase online or through catalogs.
(There is just so much great salesmanship at the conventions, and I feel so much pressure to buy while it's in front of me, that dh and I learned it was necessary for us to add these limits.)
Also, ladies-- bring your husbands if at all possible! My dh is a wonderful guy for saying things like, "We don't need it," or even better, "We don't need it YET." This curbs my impulse to purchase everything I can in my frantic desire to do the best possible job educating the children.
And leave the credit cards at home.
Katie
www.homeschoolblogger.com/bwktbarr